Wednesday, July 15, 2015

New Stakes in Argentina, Chile, Idaho, South Africa, and Taiwan; New Districts in Aruba, Mexico, and Russia; Stake Discontinued in Oregon; Districts Discontinued in Malaysia

Argentina
The Church organized a new stake from the Olavarría Argentina District on June 21st. The new stake includes the following five wards and four branches: the Independencia, Mariano Moreno, Tandil 1st, Tandil 2nd, and Urquiza Wards and the Azul, Bolívar, Rauch, and Villa Aguirre Branches. The Church consolidated the Olavarría Argentina and Tandil Argentina Districts in 2014 in preparation to create the new stake. There are now 74 stakes and 29 districts in Argentina.

Chile
The Church organized a new stake from the Valparaíso Chile West District and the Valparaíso Chile Stake. The new stake appears to include just four wards: the Edwards, Levarte, O'Higgins, and Quebrada Verde Wards. Problems with an inadequate number of Melchizedek Priesthood holders appeared to delay the reestablishment of a stake from the Valparaíso Chile West District since 2002 when the original stake was discontinued. There are now 77 stakes and 19 districts in Chile.

South Africa
The Church organized a new stake in the Johannesburg metropolitan area on June 28th. The Mabopane South Africa Stake was organized from the Pretoria South Africa Stake and includes the following five wards: the Atteridgeville, Mabopane, Montana, Saulsville, and Soshanguve Wards. Senior missionaries note that the new stake leadership is solely comprised of black African members. There are now 15 stakes and three districts in South Africa.

Taiwan
The Church organized a new stake in Taiwan on June 21st. The Hualien Taiwan Stake was organized from the Hua Lien Taiwan District. The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Hualien 1st, Hualien 2nd, Taitung 1st, Taitung 2nd, and Taitung 3rd Wards and the Yu Li Branch. The new stake had the minimum required members (1,900) needed to be organized into a stake, suggesting moderate member activity rates in the area. There are now 14 stakes and one district in Taiwan.

Aruba
The Church reinstated a member district in Aruba. The ABC Islands District was organized from mission branches in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao and includes the following four branches: the Bonaire, Curaçao, Oranjestad, and San Nicolás Branches. The Church previously operated a district in Aruba from 2004 to 2009 and a separate district in Curaçao from 2005 to 2009. The district was also transferred from the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission to the realigned Trinidad Port of Spain Mission.

Mexico
The Church organized a new district in Mexico on July 12th. The Nochixtlan México District was organized from the Mexico Oaxaca Mission and the Oaxaca Mexico Monte Alban Stake. The new district includes the following four branches: the Anona, Nochixtlan, Santiago Tenango, and Tlaxiaco Branches. The new district presents church leaders with exciting opportunities to extend specialized outreach among the large Mixtec Amerindian population in the region. There are now 231 stakes and 38 districts in Mexico.

Russia
The Church organized two new districts in Russia in June.

The Samara Russia District was organized from mission branches in the Russia Samara Mission. The new district includes the following seven branches: the Avrory, Bezymyansky, Kazan', Novokuybishevsk, Samara Russia District, Toliatti, and Ulianovsk Branches. The Church previously operated a district in Samara from 1996 until 2013. The decision to reestablish a district in the city and its large geographical size suggest that mission and area leaders foresee realistic opportunities to establish a stake in the medium term.

The Moscow Russia North District was organized from mission branches in the Russia Moscow Mission. The new district includes the following seven branches: the Gor’kovsky, Lotoshino, Moscow Russia North District, Ryazan, Tverskoy, Yaroslavsky, and Zarechny Branches. The decision to organize the district indicates that there may be plans to create a second stake in Moscow in the coming five years.

There are now two stakes and five districts in Russia.

Oregon
The Church recently discontinued a stake in Oregon for the first time in the history of the Church in the state. The Portland Oregon East Stake was discontinued and its five wards were reassigned to neighboring stakes. The stake was originally organized in 1951 and included inner city areas in northern Portland. There are now 35 stakes in Oregon.

Malaysia
The Church recently discontinued a stake in East Malaysia. The Bintulu Malaysia District was discontinued and its three branches were reassigned to the Miri Malaysia District. Missionaries serving in the area noted that this decision was prompted by slow growth in the area over the past few years and plans from mission leaders to prepare the area for the establishment of a stake in the near future. Branches in Miri appear to currently meet qualifications to operate as wards. However, missionaries note that branches in Bintulu fall vastly short of these qualifications at this time. There are now seven districts in Malaysia.

18 comments:

I understand that a new ward was created in the Valparaiso stake and then transferred to the new Valparaiso West stake. LDS Maps shows the O'Higgins ward as part of the Valparaiso West stake but disconnected from this one.

On a different subject, does anyone know how to change the boundaries on LDS Maps? Boundaries for the Villa Alemana and the Villa Alemana West Stake are ridiculously wrong.

I think it is up to the stake clerk. The boundaries for some of the branches in the Juneau Alaska stake are wrong also. There is no one living in the boundaries of the Gustavus and Skagway Branches, according to LDS Maps. Also, it show Craig as part of the Tongass Branch, and not the Craig Branch.

This is an article about preparations for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Cedar City Utah Temple. It states that, "the new temple will serve a geographic area that stretches from Iron County north as far as Beaver, east as far as Escalante and west to Panaca, Nevada, and will cover 17 stakes."

I am a little saddened to hear about the stake discontinued in Oregon. LDS Church outreach in inner-cities comes in waves, and at times the programs that help the members there the most also lead to them moving. In Detroit there is what is called the "Personal Storehouse Project" which is a system to try and help members in the inner-city gain employment. It focuses on helping them achieve the goals they wish for, with coordination with exiting local social services projects.

With the rise in the number of African-American missionaries in the Detroit Mission I am hoping we are on the verge of a breakthrough. Of course, the population distribution of Metro-Detroit has also changed a lot in the last 20 years. 20 years ago over half of all African-Americans in Michigan lived in Detroit. That was not counting those who lived in Highland Park, a city surrounded by Detroit that has a population more African-American than Detroit itself. As of 2010 only 40% of African-Americans in Michigan lived in Detroit, and my best anecdotal evidence says the % has declined since then.

My family has lived in Portland for 4 generations and has lived all over the Portland metro area including the north stake. This area has experienced a lot of redevelopment and even an increase in population due to density increases. Portland has the highest rate of gentrification in the US, so meany of the old communities have been replaced with high end apartments and condos.Unlike Detroit, this is not so much a result of people moving away however. It is a result of increasing secularization. The newer populations moving in are generally white and irreligious. This is in contrast to the predominantly African American, Latino, and Polynesian populations that were there before. Unless the church plans on creating a teaching program to convert atheists, we might be out of luck in this area for a wile.

Was just at a fireside associated with some events relating to the Provo City Center Temple, and I heard the mission president say that he had one stake in the mission as it stands now, and he's found this after only two weeks here, that has 1900 members that are less active or inactive.

The stake probably has to be rather large otherwise, given the leadership that needs to be in place in however many wards that stake has. But activation is a major priority with the mission here.

Actually, even Detroit is experiencing gentrification. The most recent figures for the city say the overall population declined by 10,000 but the white population went up. The gentrification is still concentrated in only a few areas and unlikely to affect the Church much in the short run. Gentrification attracts unmarried singles, not young families, except in rare cases like my Brother who moved to a house in Lansing with his Hispanic wife and 2 or 3 children (I can't remember how many they had then, they now have 4), which had previously been sublet as 2 apartments and still has 2 kitchens. They lived in Detroit but my sister-in-law who grew up in the rough parts of Lansing did not like it. The failed school system alone will probably keep many Mormon families from moving into Detroit for years to come.

On the other hand, I have seen people from athiest backgrounds join the Church, so it is doable.

I am glad to see a new stake organized in the Miami South Stake. The discontinuance of a stake in that area was somewhat discouraging.

Another note on Metro-Detroit. At our stake picnic last Saturday I was talking with the couple who are assigned to work with the Personal Storehouse Project in Palmer Park Ward, the one ward that actually meets in Detroit (there are 2 branches in Detroit, and 4 other wards with portions of them in Detroit but meeting in a suburb). They said that they have helped lots of people find employment, but almost all of those moved out of the ward in the process. I didn't ask to what extend this was in Michigan and to what extent it was to other states.

So what's the deal with Madagascar? Seems it had some of the strongest membership and congregational growth in the Church, but there haven't been any updates on it in over four years now. Did all that suddenly just stop?

Stakes and Districts Discontinued in 2018

About Me

My interest in researching the growth of the LDS Church began in 2002. I began this blog in late 2007 to provide a forum to discuss LDS growth developments and share information. I have also worked for The Cumorah Foundation since 2009 providing research assistance and resource development on LDS growth and missionary work. Since this time I have been interviewed by various media organizations and have co-authored with David Stewart our comprehensive work Reaching the Nations: International Church Growth Almanac: 2014 Edition. I have a masters degree in psychology and a doctorate degree in clinical psychology.